Summary
BOTEC is a simple astrophysical and orbital mechanics calculator,
including a database of all named Solar System objects.
Overview
BOTEC is intended as a simple but useful calculator to assist with
making astrophysical, orbital mechanics, and space navigation
calculations. As the origin of the acronym applies, BOTEC is more
of a "back-of-the-envelope calculator" rather than an
industrial-strength calculator, although this may change in the
future.
BOTEC is primarily intended for people familiar with physics and
Python, and as such is unlikely to be useful to the average
enduser. BOTEC really consists of two parts: The BOTEC software,
which knows what to do with the data, and the Solar System data
itself, which is represented in a large data file (a Python
pickle, actually). This is deliberately modularized so that the
Solar System data BOTEC uses can be updated independently of thet
software, and also that alternative data files (*e.g.*,
hypothetical stellar systems for fictional purposes) can be
supported.
All values are strictly in SI units.
Getting the software
The current version of botec is 0.3.
The latest version of the software is available in a tarball here:
http://www.alcyone.com/software/botec/botec-latest.tar.gz.
The official URL for this Web site is
http://www.alcyone.com/software/botec/.
Requirements
BOTEC requires Python 2.3 or greater.
In its present state, BOTEC will also not be of much use to
endusers not familiar with Python, or people without some basic
working knowledge of physics, astrophysics, orbital mechanics, and
space navigation.
License
This code is released under the GPL.
....
Release history [since 0.2]
- 0.3, 2005 Jan 15. Separate transfers from maneuvers; support
Oberth maneuvers.
- 0.2.1, 2005 Jan 8. Various collected modifications.
--
Erik Max Francis && max at alcyone.com && http://www.alcyone.com/max/
San Jose, CA, USA && 37 20 N 121 53 W && AIM erikmaxfrancis
The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.
-- George Orwell